Device for use with tunnel driving machines

ABSTRACT

A device constituting a cutting jib or arm for mounting on a rotatable platform of a tunnel driving machine. The device has a main elongate body one end of which is attachable to the platform. A hewing cylinder is disposed for rotation at the other end of the main body. A carriage in the form of a hollow box like structure is mounted on the main body for sliding back and forth and piston and cylinder units are used to effect this movement. A draw pick is supported by side members able to pass over the lids of the hewing cylinder. These side members are pivotably carried by journals connected to the carriage so that the side members move with the carriage along the main body. Further piston and cylinder units serve to move the side members in an oscillatory manner on the journals and about the hewing cylinder to cause the draw pick to effect cutting when the carriage is advanced up to the other end of the main body.

Elite States Patent [191 L'obbe [111 3,870,369 [451 Mar-(11, 1975 [75] Inventor: Armin Lbbbe,Bergk-Oberaden,

Germany [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Nov. 15, 1972 Germany 2256020 [52] U.S. Cl 299/71, 299/67, 299/85 [51] Int. Cl. E2lc 25/52, E2lc 27/30 [58] Field of Search 299/67, 85, 86, 71;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1919 Young 299/71 X 1,572,009 2/1926 Hansen 299/67 X 3,128,998 4/1964 Sibley 299/71 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 829,896 3/1960 Great Britain 299/65 Primary Examiner-Ernest R. Purser Assistant Examiner-William F. Pate, I11 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Markva & Smith [57] ABSTRACT A device constituting a cutting jib or arm for mounting on a rotatable platform of a tunnel driving machine. The device has a main elongate body one end of which is attachable to the platform. A hewing cylin der is disposed for rotation at the other end of the main body. A carriage in the form of a hollow box like structure is mounted on the main body for sliding back and forth and piston and cylinder units are used to effect this movement. A draw pick is supported by side members able to pass over the lids of the hewing cylinder. These side members are pivotably carried by journals connected to the carriage so that the side members move with the carriage along the main body. Further piston and cylinder units serve to move the side members in an oscillatory manner on the journals and about the hewing cylinder to cause the draw pick to effect-cutting when the carriage is advanced up to the other end of the main body.

24 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEU HARI 1 I975 SHEET 2 0F 2 DEVICE FOR USE WITH TUNNEL DRIVING MACHINES BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device which is usable as a cutting arm or jib on a tunnel driving machine. Such a device would normally be mounted on a rotatable platform on the machine so as to be movable in horizontal and vertical senses. The machine itself would usually be mobile, for example supported on endless tracks. It is known to employ, with such machines a jib or arm which has a hewing cylinder at its free end to detach material from a working face. A conveying means, such as a scraper-chain conveyor may be circulated along the arm to transfer the detached material rearwardly. Under certain conditions, such as where the hewing cylinder has to cope with a variety of materials during the tunnel driving operation, the cutting operation cannot be performed with great efficiency. To overcome this problem it is known to provide the arm with interchangeable cutting tools but the replacement of the tools to cope with changing conditions is a difficult operation and wastes time. Where the tunnel being driven is of small cross-section the replacement of the entire driving machine may be a better solution than the replacement of the cutting tools.

It is known in the winning of clay or like materials, in contrast to tunnel driving, to employ a machine having a winning tool carried by an arm which works in conjunction with a tool resembling a twist drill but such a machine would not normally be suitable for driving tunnels.

A general object of the invention is to provide an improved form of device for use with a tunnel driving machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device for the machine which will enable the machine to work efficiently, even in tunnels of small cross-section, despite changes in the composition of the material beingdetached.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which has two independent cutting means permanently connected to the main structure which precludes the replacement of cutting tools previously necessary yet which is efficient and does not require undue space.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In its broadest aspect the invention provides in or for a tunnel driving machine a device for detaching material from a working face; said device having a generally elongate body attachable at one end to said machine, a first material cutting means disposed at the other end of said body and a second selectively-operable material cutting means carried by said body whereby material can be detached from said face by the first cutting means or by the first and second cutting means working simultaneously.

In a preferred form the invention provides a device for use with tunnel driving machines; said device comprising: a main elongate body attachable at one end to said machine; a hewing cylinder disposed at the other end of the body; guide slots formed on the elongate body; a carriage having projections slidably received within the guide slots; hydraulic piston and cylinder units operable to move the carriage along the body; a structure composed of a draw pick carried by side members disposed laterally outwardly beyond the hewing cylinder; means for pivotably supporting said structure in relation to the carriage; and further hydraulic piston and cylinder units operable to cause the structure to oscillate about the pivot means and generally over the hewing cylinder.

The first cutting means can be a hewing cylinder, as is known per se, and the second cutting means can be a draw pick carried by side members. These side members extend laterally outwards of the hewing cylinder in relation to the body to thereby enable the side members and the draw pick to pass over the hewing cylinder. In order to enable the draw pick to be moved along the body from an operative to an inoperative position and vice versa a carriage guided for sliding along the body can be connected to the side members supporting the draw pick. The hewing cylinder can cut the material at the working face entirely independently of the draw pick but where the material necessitates operation of the draw pick the carriage can be advanced along the body to cause the pick and side members to effectively overtake the hewing cylinder. The draw pick can then be actuated in an oscillatory movement swinging over the hewing cylinder to detach material from the face in conjunction with the hewing cylinder. Preferably a conveying means is provided on the body, as is known per se, to remove thematerial detached from the face. This conveying means can also serve to drive the hewing cylinder.

Preferably hydraulic piston and cylinder units are used to move the carriage and operate the draw pick. The draw pick is especially useful where the material to be removed is light loose soil or the like since the material can be removed much faster by the draw pick than by the hewing cylinder which is more efficient for heavier harder materials. The hewing cylinder is however most useful when working in conjunction with the draw pick since the former cutting means serves then to take up and transfer the material to the conveying means.

The invention may be understood more readily, and various other features of the invention may become more apparent, from consideration of the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a device made in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the device shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional end view of the device, the view being taken along the line lIIllI of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in the drawings the device is a generally elongate construction provided at one end, denoted 1, with spaced-apart plate members 20, 21. These members 20, 21 are provided with bores 24 and are intended to be attached to a rotatable platform or the like of a tunnel driving machine (not shown) basically known per se. The plate members 20, 21 could be connected to piston and cylinder units, when the device is assembled on such a machine, so that rotation of the platform can actually be accomplished through these plate members 20, 21. When assembled on the machine the device constitutes a mobile jib or arm which serves to detach material from a face in the tunnel being driven. To this end the other end of the device, i.e., remote from the end 1, is provided with a cutting means in the form of a hewing drum or cylinder 2. This cylinder 2 is provided with cutting tools and is rotated by a chain (not shown in detail) of a scraperchain conveyor generally denoted 3.

This conveyor 3 serves to take up the material detached from the working face in the tunnel and conveys this material along the device and into a further conveyor usually separate from the tunnel driving machine.

As can be seen best in FIG. 3 the main body 31 of the device extending between the plate members 20, 21 and the hewing cylinder 2 is a box-like or hollow structure with side walls 32, 33 and a top wall 34. These side walls 32, 33 have outwardly projecting flanges 36 at their lower ends. A transverse member 35 extending across the main body defines reception slots 4 with these flanges 36. A movable carriage 5 is guided by these slots 4 for sliding along the main body 31. The carriage 5 is again a box-like hollow structure with shaped side walls 15 (FIG. 1) a top wall 46 and a bottom wall 7 through which the main body 31 extends. The side walls 15 of the carriage 5 have strip-like projections 6 (FIG. 1) extending inwardly from the lower portions thereof to engage in the guide slots 4 of the main body 31. The bottom wall 7 of the carriage 5 extends outwardly beyond the side walls 15 in the direction of the hewing cylinder 2. This prolonged part of the bottom wall 7 carries bearing units 8, conveniently of half-shell type, which rotatably support journals 9. As shown in FIG. 3, these journals 9 have flattened-off projections 12 which also slidably engage in the guide slots 4.

A further cutting means in the form of a draw pick 10 is provided with parallel side members 11 which are in turn pivotably supported by the journals 9. The pick 10 itself has a rooflike end section as shown in FIG. 3 and is prolonged to form a cutting edge as shown in FIG. 1.

In order to move the carriage 5 along the main body of the device there are provided hydraulic piston and cylinder units 13 disposed at the outside of each of the side walls 15 of the carriage 5 in a position parallel to the major longitudinal axis of the device. These piston rods of the units 13 are pivotably connected to lugs 50 on the outside of the side walls 15 of the carriage 5 and the cylinders of the units 13 are pivotably connected to straps 51 at the outside of the plate members 20, 21.

In order to effect pivoting of the draw pick 10 to thereby detach material from the working face further hydraulic piston and cylinder units 14 are provided at the outside of the side members 11 and in a position inclined in relation to the units 13. These units 14 have their piston rods pivotably connected to mounting pieces 52 on the outside of the members 11 and their cylinders pivotably connected to mounting pieces 53 at the outside of the side walls 15 of the carriage 5. The mounting pieces 53 and lugs 50 are located at the opposite inclined edges of the side walls 15 as shown in FIG. 1.

During operation the entire device is moved by the appropriate means on the tunnel driving machine to a desired position. The hewing cylinder 2 can then be rotated by the chain of the conveyor 3 to effect detachment of material. The carriage 5 can be set in an inoperative position, as depicted in FIG. 1, where the draw pick 10 is drawn back from the working face. If it is desired to use the draw pick 10 on the face the carriage 5 is advanced along the main body 31 by means of the units 13 and is guided by the slots 4. When the carriage 5 reaches its desired location the units 14 are operated to cause the draw pick 10 to oscillate about the common axis of the journals 9. The lower position of the draw pick 10, when the carriage 5 is advanced, is represented in chain-dotted outline in FIG. 1. As appears from FIG. 2 the draw pick 10 can pass in its oscillatory movement over the hewing cylinder 2 without interfering with the operation of the latter.

I claim:

1. In or for a tunnel driving machine a device for detaching material from a working face, said device comprising:

a. a generally elongate body arranged for attachment at one end to said machine;

b. a first material cutting means disposed at the opposite end of said body;

0. a carriage;

d. means for guiding the carriage for movement along said elongate body;

e. a second selectively-operable material cutting means in the form of a tool;

f. side members supporting said tool and projecting on opposite sides of said elongate body; and

g. journals on said carriage for pivotally supporting said side members;

h. whereby material can be detached from said working face by said first cutting means or by said first and second cutting means working simultaneously.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein there is further provided means for moving said carriage along the body to thereby move said second cutting means between operative and non-operative positions.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the moving means is in the form of hydraulically-operated piston and cylinder units connected between the carriage and the body.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the first cutting means is a hewing cylinder.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein the second cutting means is a draw pick.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the carriage is of hollow box-like form and the body extends through said carriage.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the body has sides and the guide means is in the form of slots provided at the sides of the body, the carriage having projections which slidably engage within said slots.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein the second cutting means is pivotably supported by journals connected to the carriage, the journals having flattened portions projecting into the slots.

9. A device according to claim 1, wherein the second cutting means is movable in relation to the body in order to effect detachment of the material from said face and there is provided means for effecting said movement of the second cutting means.

10. A device according to claim I and further comprising a conveying means for conveying material along the body.

11. A device according to claim 10, wherein the conveying means serves to transmit power to the first cutting means.

12. A device according to claim 1, wherein there is provided means for moving the side members supporting the tool in relation to the body in an oscillatory manner to effect detachment of the material from said face.

13. A device according to claim 12, wherein the means for moving the side members is in the form of hydraulic piston and cylinder units connected between the carriage and the side members.

14. In or for a tunnel driving machine a device for detaching material from a working face, said device comprising:

a. a generally elongate body arranged for attachment at one end to said machine;

b. a first material cutting means disposed at the opposite end of said body;

c. a carriage;

d. means for guiding the carriage for movement along said elongate body;

e. a second selectively-operable material cutting means in the form of a tool; and

f. journals on said carriage for pivotally supporting said second cutting means;

g. said guide means being in the form of slots provided in the sides of said body and projections provided on the carriage, and slidably engaging within said slots, said journals supporting said second cutting means having flattened portions projecting into said slots;

h. whereby material can be detached from said working face by said first cutting means or by said first and second cutting means working simultaneously.

15. A device according to claim 14, wherein the second cutting means is in the form ofa tool supported by side members projecting on opposite sides of the body and connected to the carriage for movement therewith.

16. A device according to claim 15, wherein the side members are disposed laterally outwardly beyond the first cutting means.

17. A device according to claim 15, wherein there is provided means for moving the side members support- '6 ing the tool in relation to the body in an oscillatory manner toeffect detachment of the material from said face.

18. A device according to claim 17, wherein the means for moving the side members is in the form'of hydraulic piston and cylinder units connected between the carriage and the side members.

19. A device according to claim 15, wherein the side members are pivotably supported by journals attached to the carriage.

20. A device according to claim 14, wherein there is provided means for moving the carriage along the body.

21. A device according to claim 20, wherein the moving means is in the form of hydraulically-operated piston and cylinder units connected between the carriage and the body.

22. A device according to claim 14, and further comprising conveying means for conveying material along the body.

23. A device according to claim 22, wherein the conveying means serves to transmit power to the first cutting means.

24. A device for use with tunnel driving machines; said device comprising:

a. a main elongate body attachable at one end to said machine;

b. a hewing cylinder disposed at the other end of the body;

c. guide slots formed on the elongate body;

(1. a carriage having projections slidably received within the guide slots;

e. hydraulic piston and cylinder units operable to move the carriage along the body;

f. a structure composed ofa draw pick carried by side members disposed laterally outwardly beyond the hewing cylinder;

g. means for pivotably supporting said structure in relation to the carriage; and

h. further hydraulic piston and cylinder units operable to cause the structure to oscillate about the pivot means and generally over the hewing cylinder. 

1. In or for a tunnel driving machine a device for detaching material from a working face, said device comprising: a. a generally elongate body arranged for attachment at one end to said machine; b. a first material cutting means disposed at the opposite end of said body; c. a carriage; d. means for guiding the carriage for movement along said elongate body; e. a second selectively-operable material cutting means in the form of a tool; f. side members supporting said tool and projecting on opposite sides of said elongate body; and g. journals on said carriage for pivotally supporting said side members; h. whereby material can be detached from said working face by said first cutting means or by said first and second cutting means working simultaneously.
 1. In or for a tunnel driving machine a device for detaching material from a working face, said device comprising: a. a generally elongate body arranged for attachment at one end to said machine; b. a first material cutting means disposed at the opposite end of said body; c. a carriage; d. means for guiding the carriage for movement along said elongate body; e. a second selectively-operable material cutting means in the form of a tool; f. side members supporting said tool and projecting on opposite sides of said elongate body; and g. journals on said carriage for pivotally supporting said side members; h. whereby material can be detached from said working face by said first cutting means or by said first and second cutting means working simultaneously.
 2. A device according to claim 1, wherein there is further provided means for moving said carriage along the body to thereby move said second cutting means between operative and non-operative positions.
 3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the moving means is in the form of hydraulically-operated piston and cylinder units connected between the carriage and the body.
 4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the first cutting means is a hewing cylinder.
 5. A device according to claim 1, wherein the second cutting means is a draw pick.
 6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the carriage is of hollow box-like form and the body extends through said carriage.
 7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the body has sides and the guide means is in the form of slots provided at the sides of the body, the carriage having projections which slidably engage within said slots.
 8. A device according to claim 7, wherein the second cutting means is pivotably supported by journals connected to the carriage, the journals having flattened portions projecting into the slots.
 9. A device according to claim 1, wherein the second cutting means is movable in relation to the body in order to effect detachment of the material from said face and there is provided means for effecting said movement of the second cutting means.
 10. A device according to claim 1 and further comprising a conveying means for conveying material along the body.
 11. A device according to claim 10, wherein the conveying means serves to transmit power to the first cutting means.
 12. A device according to claim 1, wherein there is provided means for moving the side members supporting the tool in relation to the body in an oscillatory manner to effect detachment of the material from said face.
 13. A device according to claim 12, wherein the means for moving the side members is in the form of hydraulic piston and cylinder units connected between the carriage and the side members.
 14. In or for a tunnel driving machine a device for detaching material from a working face, said device comprising: a. a generally elongate body arranged for attachment at one end to said machine; b. a first material cutting means disposed at the opposite end of said body; c. a carriage; d. means for guiding the carriage for movement along said elongate body; e. a second selectively-operable material cutting means in the form of a tool; and f. journals on said carriage for pivotally supporting said second cutting means; g. said guide means being in the form of slots provided in the sides of said body and projections provided on the carriage, and slidably engaging within said slots, said journals supporting said second cutting means having flattened portions projecting into said slots; h. whereby material can be detached from said working face by said first cutting means or by said first and second cutting means working simultaneously.
 15. A device according to claim 14, wherein the second cutting means is in the form of a tool supported by side membeRs projecting on opposite sides of the body and connected to the carriage for movement therewith.
 16. A device according to claim 15, wherein the side members are disposed laterally outwardly beyond the first cutting means.
 17. A device according to claim 15, wherein there is provided means for moving the side members supporting the tool in relation to the body in an oscillatory manner to effect detachment of the material from said face.
 18. A device according to claim 17, wherein the means for moving the side members is in the form of hydraulic piston and cylinder units connected between the carriage and the side members.
 19. A device according to claim 15, wherein the side members are pivotably supported by journals attached to the carriage.
 20. A device according to claim 14, wherein there is provided means for moving the carriage along the body.
 21. A device according to claim 20, wherein the moving means is in the form of hydraulically-operated piston and cylinder units connected between the carriage and the body.
 22. A device according to claim 14, and further comprising conveying means for conveying material along the body.
 23. A device according to claim 22, wherein the conveying means serves to transmit power to the first cutting means. 